Chief Harlin R. McEwen Public Safety Broadband Communications Award

The Chief Harlin R. McEwen Public Safety Broadband Communications Award is the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet Authority) sole, prestigious award. Established in 2017, the award recognizes the spirit of service, commitment, and dedication that is a proud tradition among public safety. The award was created in honor of Chief Harlin R. McEwen for his extraordinary expertise, experience, and leadership as the founding Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) Chair.

Chief McEwen served for 13 years as the Chief of Police for the Cayuga Heights (NY) Police Department before moving on to serve as the Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. He later returned to police work, serving as the Chief of Police for the City of Ithaca (NY) before taking the position of Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI. In addition, he served for more than 37 years as the Chairman of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Communications & Technology Committee. During that time he was the principal representative and spokesperson for the IACP on matters relating to communications and technology.

From 2012 to 2017, Chief McEwen served as the Chair of the FirstNet Authority PSAC. In this role, Chief McEwen led the efforts of the 43-member PSAC to provide operational recommendations to the FirstNet Authority Board and staff as the FirstNet Authority worked to deploy the nationwide public safety broadband network.

This award honors an individual who has displayed remarkable leadership or made significant contributions in the field of public safety broadband communications. Any sworn or civilian member of public safety (fire service, law enforcement, EMS, emergency management, and 911/emergency communications) is eligible for this award.